Distribution of Vegetation and Geomorphology Characteristics of the Water Spider(Argyroneta aquatica) Habitat in the Jeongok Lava Plateau, Central Korea

전곡 용암대지 물거미 서식지의 지형특성과 식생 분포

The formation of the lava dam of the paleo lake blocked the entrance to the Chatancheon River on the Jeongok lava plateau and it suddenly transformed the terrestrial ecosystem into the aquatic one by the overflow. The spiders in the lava dam adapted in the wetland and evolved into water spiders that could survive by forming bubble houses. Since then, the lava dam was connected to the present Hantangang River due to the dissection and the lake became a terrestrial environment, a small area of marsh composed of primarily clay soil layer. Change in water level of the habitat and thus the extension of the terrestrial area made the species a endangered now. This study carried out frequency of occurrence, degree of wetness and plant habitats of the vascular plant in the water spider habitat. As a result of this study, total 180taxa are of 55 (30.6%) wetland plant groups and of 113 (62.8%) upland plant groups except facultative plant groups. Among the wetland plant groups, the Isachne globosa community occupied the largest area, where the water spiders were most observed. The result of this study, the classification and the types of vascular plant species, would provide useful information for the sustaining healthy wetland ecosystem and the restoration of the habitat for the water spiders.